Box lid pressing and nailing machine



20,1938. G. c. PAXTON ET AL 2,140,851

BOX L'ID PRESSING AND NAILING MACHINE Filed Sept. 24, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet l 7 W n/me zmzp a: PM #442 a 51-44904 Dec. 20, 1938. s. c. PAXTON ET AL I 2,140,851 BOX LID PRESSING AND NAILING MACHINE v I Filed Sept. 24, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 amzfifgfg/ #zeera azmsm azazzazgumaaw Dec. 20, 1938. I PAXTQN 2,140,851

BOX LID PRESSING AND NAILINGMACHINE Filed Sept. 24, 1936 s Sheets-Sheet :s

I I Q 659410633417? ma? Patented Dec. 20, 1938 umrso STATES PATENT OFFICE r 2,140,851 Box LID PRESSING AND NAILING MACHINE Application September 24, 1935, Serial No. 41,896

8 Claims.

Our invention relates to the packing of fresh fruits and vegetables for shipment and has particular reference to a novel form of flusher for use on box lidding machines. Fruits and vegetables are usually packed in boxes or similar containers with the upper portion of the pack disposed above and in overlying relation with the upper edges of the sides and ends of the box, forming what is commonly known as a crown pack. The overfilled boxes are conveyed from the packing tables to lidding machines where lids are arched over the pack and nailed at their ends to the box ends. The arched lids, in tending to straighten out, exert a constant pressure on the produce thus resulting in a tight pack if the latter shrinks during shipment.

In order to bring the lid ends into contact with the box ends, the crown portion of the pack must be partially pressed into the box, and suitable means must be provided on the lidding machine to engage the fruit overlying the upper edges of the box and move this fruit inward from over the box edges to prevent injury thereto by the box edges during the pressing operation. In lidding machines commonly used for lidding boxes of fruit the means for accomplishing this function along the sides of the box usually operate as flushers. The members for accomplishing this function at the ends of the box normally extend between the ends of the box and the lid while performing their function and are therefore known as tuckers. Where the terms flusher and tucker are used in the claims, however, it is not desired that these terms be given a more restricted interpretation than necessary .to distinguish the invention from the prior art.

In the packing of fruits and vegetables, the containers are usually of standard width and length but often of two different heights, the high boxes being known as standard and the low boxes as half boxes.

In certain box lidding machines. such as disclosed in the copending application of Hale Paxton et al., Serial No. 688,104, filed September 5, 1933, now Patent No. 2,084,048, dated June 15, 1937, for Automatic lid nailing and strapping machine, the fiushers are carried by the box supporting table and are designed for use on boxes of substantially uniform height.

An object of our invention is to provide a box lidding machine having fiushers on the table thereof in which the flushers are movable vertically in relation to the box supporting table to permit the fiushersto engage the crown portion of the pack of boxes of different heights.

Another object of our invention is to provide flushers on the box supporting table of a lidding machine that are automatically positioned in vertical relation to said table in response to vertical movement of table.

In addition to the aforementioned standard and half boxes employed for shipment of fruits and vegetables, domestic and export boxes are used, the latter having thicker shook than the former.

A further object of our invention is to provide flushers for a box lidding machine that are readily adjustable for operation on either domestic or exportcontainers.

Further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational View of a preferred form of lidding machine of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view looking in the direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 1 and showing a full-height box on the table, with the latter lowered and with the fiusher mechanism set to operate on this box.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 2 and illustrating the table raised sufficiently to cause actuation of the side flushers of the invention.

Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure 2 with a half-height box on the table with the latter in its lowermost position and with the flusher rnechanism set for operating on this kind of box.

Figure 5is a view similar to Figure 4 with the table raised suff ciently to cause the side flushers to be actuated.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of a portion. of one of the side flushers of the machine of my invention.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional View takenon the line 'l'l of Fig. 1, sh owing the operation of the machine in relation to a domestic fruit box.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, showing the operation of the machine in relation toan export box, and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary, detail view looking in the direction of the arrow 9 of Fig. 6.

Referring specifically to the drawings, a pack pressing and lid securing machine l0. comprising a preferred embodiment of my invention is shown in Fig. 1, this machine including a frame ll, a power unit 12, a box supporting table [3, and

. nailing mechanism 14.

The frame I I includes a base (not shown) from which front and rear corner posts I8 and I9 respectively extend. Connected to the upper ends of the posts I8 and I9 are horizontal plates 20 and 2I respectively.

The power unit I2 includes a motor 25 controlled by a switch 26. The motor 25 causes the table I3 to be raised or lowered at the will of the operator as clearly described in the above referred to copending application.

The box supporting table I3 includes identical end plates 38, one of which is shown in Fig. 2. Each of the plates 30 is formed to provide a. pair of vertical slots 32. Pivotally mounted on each of the plates 30 are levers 34 and 35, these being connected by a tie rod 36, the levers 34 and 35 being normally urged to the position in which they are shown in Fig. 2 by an extension spring 31 extending'from the lever 35 to the tie rod 36, a stop pin 38 being provided on the lever 35 for engagement with the tie rod 36 to limit the outward movement of the levers 34 and 35. Secured at their ends to the plates 38 are pairs of bars 40 between which rollers 4| are rotatably mounted as shown in Fig. '1. Provided on the table I3, as shown in Fig. 1, are suitable stops 42 and 43 for positioning a box longitudinally on the table I3.

Pivotally mounted on the table I3 are front and rear side fiushers 45 and 46 respectively, each of these including a shaft 41 received at its ends in the slots 32 of the plates 38. Fixed on opposite ends of each of the shafts 41 are arms 48 having rollers 49 on their upper ends, the rollers 49 normally resting in suitable blocks 58 fixed on the corner posts I8 and I9 as shown in Fig. 2. Connected to the lower extremities of the arms 48 are extension springs 5I, the latter tending to urge the ushers 45 and 46 outward as shown in Fig. 2. Fixed on the corner posts I8 and I9 in alignment with the rollers 49 are cam bars 52. Welded, or otherwise secured to the shafts 41 (Fig. 6) of the fiushers 45 and 46 are upstanding bars 55 having flusher bars 56 secured to the upper ends thereof.

Mounted on each of the bars 55 is an apertured block 58, each pair of the blocks 58 carrying a pin 59 upon which a U-shaped stop 68 is pivotally mounted. The U-shaped stop 60 on the right hand side of the front flusher 45 is formed as shown in Fig. 6 to provide a lever 62. Extending from a suitable pin 63 on the lever 62 to the adjacent bar 55 is an overthrow extension spring the purpose of which will be described hereina er.

Pivotally mounted on each of the shafts 41 below the U-shaped stops 69 are bell cranks 66, the cranks 66 on each of the shafts 41 being rigidly connected by bars 61 as shown in Figs. 1 and 6. The outward extending arm of each of the bell cranks 66 is connected to the U-shaped stop 60 thereabove by a link 69, while the downward extending arms of the front cranks 66 are connected to similar arms of the rear cranks 66 by horizontal links 10 as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Provision of the bell cranks 66 and links 69 and 10 cause all of the stops 66 to operate simultaneously in response to manual operation of the lever 62.

The aforedescribed levers 34 and 35 are actuated by a control mechanism 12 which includes a shaft 13 journalled in bearings 14 on the posts I8 as shown in Fig. 1. Fixed on opposite ends of 7 the shaft 13 are arms 15 having rollers 18 on the extremities thereof, the rollers 16 being positioned .nail chucks (not shown) provided thereon. Fixed on the beams 86 are brackets 89 in which end tuckers 90 are pivotally mounted, the latter serving to support a lid L as shown in Fig. 1. Supported by the plates 28 and 2I between the nailing units is a strapper unit S, the latter being disclosed in the above referred to copending application. Carried by the beams 86 and the strapper S is a crown sheet 92.

Operation When a standard box, such as the box B shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is to be lidded by the machine ID, the lever 18 is positioned as shown in Fig. 2, allowing the levers 34 and 35 to engage the under side of the flusher shafts 41. After the box B rolls onto the table I3 and is positioned thereon by the stops 42 and 43, the power unit I2 is energized by the operator causing the table l3 to be lifted as shown in Fig. 3. The flusher shafts 41 are retained in the upper ends of the slots 32 by the levers 34 and 35 and the fiushers 45 and 46 are swung inward by contact of the cams 52 with the rollers 49 of the levers 48. As the fiushers 45 and 46 swing inward, the fiusher bars 56 contact the'overfilled portion of fruit F in the box B and move the fruit at the sides of the box inward from over the upper edges of the sides of the box as shown in Fig. 3. Continued upward movement of the box B brings the upper edges of the ends thereof into contact with the end tuckers which serve to move the fruit at the ends of the box inward from over the upper edges of the box ends. The lid L is then pressed onto the fruit F by the crown sheet 92 and the ends of the lid nailed to the box ends by the nailing units 85.

When a half box B, as shown in Fig. 4, is fed to the machine ID, the operator pulls the lever 18 down causing the shaft 13 to rotate, the arms 15 thereof being raised. As the arms 15 swing upward, the rollers 16 thereon force the levers 34 and 35 out from under the ends of the flusher shafts 41, the latter being retained in the upper ends of the slots 32 by engagement of the blocks 50 with the rollers 49 of the levers 48. When the table I3 is raised to fix a lid on the box B, the side fiushers 45 and 46 remain stationary until the ends of the fiusher shafts 41 are engaged by the lower ends of the slots 32. The fiushers 45 and 46 then function as shown in Fig. 5 in substantially the same manner described relative to the lidding of the standard box B.

When the table I3 is lowered after the box B is lidded, the blocks 50 again engage the rollers 49 of the levers 48 and retain the fiushers 45 and 46 while the table I3 continues downward to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 4.

It is thus seen that by raising or lowering the lever 18, the fiushers 45 and 46 can be properly positioned to operate on either a standard or a half box.

Referring now to Fig. 7, we have shown therein the operation of the stops 60 during the lidding of the standard box B as compared with the operation thereof during the lidding of an export box E, shown in Fig. 8. When positioned as shown in Fig. '1, the stops 60 contact the sides 95 of the box B, thus limiting the inward movement of the flushers 45 and 46 so that the innermost faces of the bars 56 thereof are disposed in vertical alignment with the inside surfaces of the sides 91 of the box.

When the export box E is to be lidded, the operator pulls down on the lever 62 causing all four of the stops to be raised into inoperative position as shown in Fig. 8, thus allowing the inner faces of the flusher bars 56 to move into vertical alignment with the inner surfaces of the thick sides 95 of the box E while the vertical bars 55 of the flushers 45 and 46 contact-the outer surfaces of the sides 96. The lever 62 is retained in either its upper or lower position by the overthrow spring 64.

It is thus seen that the stops 69 included in the machine ID of our invention enable the flushers 45 and 46 to operate correctly on either domestic boxes or export boxes having extra thick side walls.

Although we have shown and described but one preferred form of machine of our invention, it is to be understood that various modifications and changes might be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a lid pressing machine, the combination of: a frame; a box supporting table on said frame; lid pressing means on said frame above said table; power means causing relative vertical movement between said pressing means and said table; flushing means on said table for engaging fruit overlying upper edges of said box to move said fruit inward from over said edges; and control means for selectively rendering said flushing means effective at different vertical positions relative to said table, to cause said flushing means to function on boxes of different heights.

2. A combination as in claim 1, in which at least one vertical relation as aforesaid between said table and said flushing means, after having been preselected by actuation of said control means, is effected by relative vertical movement between said flushing means and said table incidental to the relative vertical movement aforesaid between said pressing means and said table.

3. In a cover pressing machine, the combination of: a frame; a box supporting table movable vertically on said frame; power means for elevating and lowering said table; cover pressing means on said frame above said table; fiusher means on said table for engaging fruit overlying upper edges of said box and moving said fruit inward from over said edges to prevent injury to said fruit by said edges during a pressing operation; and control means for selectively rendering said flusher means effective at different Vertical positions relative to said table, to cause said fiusher means to engage the crown portion of the pack of boxes of different heights.

4. In a machine for applying a lid to an overfilled box of fruit, the combination of: a frame; a box supporting table on said frame; lid applying means on said frame over said table; power means causing relative vertical movement between said lid applying means and said table; flushing means pivotally mounted at each side of said table for engaging fruit overlying upper edges of the sides of said box to move said overlying fruit inward from over said edges; and control means for selectively rendering said flushing means effective at different vertical positions relative to said table, to cause said flushing means to engage the overfilled portion of the pack of boxes of different heights.

5. In a machine for applying a lid to an overfilled box of fruit, the combination of: a frame; a box supporting table on said frame; lid applying means on said frame over said table; said table and lid applying means being capable of being spaced apart maximum and minimum distances; power .means causing relative vertical movement between said lid applying means and said table to change from maximum to minimum spacing and vice versa; a rotatable shaft at each side of said table, said shafts being parallel with the longitudinal axis of said table and movable vertically relative to said table; side flushers carried by said shafts for engaging fruit overlying upper edges of the sides of said box to move said fruit inward from over said edges; means for causing said shafts to be located at given vertical positions relative to said table when said table and said lid applying means are at maximum spacing as aforesaid; and means for causing said shafts to be located at any one of a plurality of vertical positions relative to said table when said lid applying means and said table approach minimum spacing as aforesaid to permit said flushers to engage the fruit overlying the upper edges of the sides of any one of a plurality of boxes of different heights.

6. In a machine for lidding an overfilled box of fresh fruit, the combination of: a frame; a box supporting table on said frame; lid securing means on said frame over said table; flushing means for engaging fruit overlying upper edges of the sides of said box to move said fruit inward from over said edges to prevent injury to said fruit during the lidding of said box by said lid securing means; stop means on said flushers, the innermost position of said fiushers relative to said box sides being determined by contact of said stop means with the outer surfaces of the sides of said box; and means operable from a single station for adjusting said stop means to vary the position of said flushers relative to the outer surfaces of the sides of a box to permit said flushers to operate on boxes having sides of different thicknesses.

7. In combination: a table for supporting an over-filled box; a presser head disposed above said table; means for causing relative movement between said presser head and said table to apply pressure to the over-pack in said box to arch the same preparatory to lidding said box; a gathering member; means for shifting said gathering member inwardly toward said box prior to the consummation of said pressing movement to shift edge portions of said over-pack inwardly from over a vertical wall of said box to prevent pinching of said edge portions incidental to said pressing operation; means for supporting said member on said table either in a position to operate properly on a box of one standard height or in a position to operate properly on a box of a substantially different standard height when shifted inwardly as aforesaid; and gathering member support control means adapted to be actuated prior to the beginning of a given relative vertical movement as aforesaid to selectively determine in which of said positions, said support means will support said member during a cover pressing operation to take place during said particular relative vertical movement, any change in vertical relation between said member and said table necessary to carry out the selection made by said control means being effected automatically by said relative vertical movement.

8. In combination: a table for supporting an over-filled box; a presser head disposed above said table; means for causing relative movement between said presser head and said table to apply pressure to the over-pack in said box to arch the same preparatory to lidding said box; a flusher bar disposed along one side of said box when it is positioned on said table; means for moving said bar inwardly prior to the consummation of said pressing movement to shift edge portions of said over-pack inwardly from over a side of said box; means for supporting said flusher bar on said table either in a position to operate proper- 1y on a box of one standard height or in a position to operate properly on a box of a substan- GERALD C. PAXTON. HARRY D. BENSON. CHARLES H. JOHNSON. 

